Chinese scientists deliver world’s first cloned yak via cesarean section in Tibet

Chinese researchers have successfully delivered a cloned yak via caesarean section (C-section). Born on July 11, the baby yak was bred at a breeding base in Damxung County, southwest Tibet—also known as China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

The calf is reported to have weighed 73.9 pounds (33.5 kg) at birth, which is heavier than most yak newborns. Completely black, the calf is in good health and was able to walk with no issues.

The birth marks a significant scientific advancement in livestock breeding, particularly in high-altitude environments such as Tibet. Yaks are vital to the local economy and ecology, providing meat, milk, transportation, and fuel (from dung) to communities living on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

The cloning process itself was achieved, the researchers report, using somatic cell cloning. This is a process where the DNA from a body (somatic) cell is inserted into an egg cell with its nucleus removed.

China's first cloned yak

The researchers also used whole-genome selection, which is a method that helps identify and propagate animals with desirable genetic traits like size and milk yield.

The project was started in 2023 by researchers at Zhejiang University in eastern China who led the scientific work. Other stakeholders included the Damxung County government and the Institute of Plateau Biology in Xizang.

The primary objective was to enhance the quality of yak breeds by making them stronger, more productive, and disease-resistant. The agenda was also to help build a modern breeding system suited to the unique conditions of Tibet’s high-altitude terrain.

Yaks are essential to life on the Tibetan Plateau, where they have been domesticated for thousands of years. Their ability to survive where most livestock cannot makes them critical for food security in the region.

They are also essential beasts of burden (aka pack animals) for locals to transport materials across the rugged topography. To this end, they play a vital role in the region’s culture and economy, supporting traditional herding lifestyles.

Additionally, they contribute to the plateau’s ecosystem by grazing sustainably and helping to maintain the balance of grasslands in this unique high-altitude environment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfNUGNsuw7o&pp=ygUPZG9sbHkgdGhlIHNoZWVw0gcJCdgJAYcqIYzv

Dolly: The cloned sheep

The same somatic cell cloning method used to create 'Dolly' the sheep back in the 1990s. Famously, Dolly was the world’s first cloned mammal and was born in 1996 at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.

To create her, scientists inserted the nucleus from an adult sheep’s udder cell into an egg cell devoid of nucleus. Her birth also overturned previous assumptions as it proved that specialized adult cells could be reprogrammed to create an entire organism.

Dolly marked an important breakthrough in genetics and biotechnology, sparking global interest in cloning’s potential, as well as its ethical implications. She lived a full and healthy life of six years and had normal offspring before her death.